Paint roller tongs



Nov. 29, 1960 F. J. MEYER 2,961,683

PAINT ROLLER TONGS Filed May 29, 1958 FIG- 3 INVENTOR. FREDERICK J. MEYER QWMM ATTORNEY Unit d States Pate e $33, 13:?

2,961,683 PAINT ROLLER TONGS Frederick John Meyer, 4259 Holly, St. Louis, Mo. Filed May 29, 1958, Ser. No. 738,834 4 Claims. cr. 15- -2361 This invention relates to a tool for handling paint rollers and extracting paint therefrom.

Handling ofpaint rollers with the hands during cleaning and removal from roller-holders is an" unpleasant task and in certain instances may be injurious to health. Paint rollers normally absorb a substantial amount of paint, which may be wasted during cleaning and require successive, time-consuming cleaning operations.

It is a primary objeet of this invention to provide a tool for extracting exeess paint from paint rollers without the hands coming into contact with the paintroller. It is a further obj e ct of this irrvent ion to provide a tool for handling pairit lrollers while removing them from their holders and during cleaning without damaging the roller and without the hands coming into contact with .the paint roller. It is another object of this invention to provide a tool for extracting the excess paint easily and conveniently before removing the roller from its holder. It is also an object of this invention to provide a tool which will fluif the nap of the roller to facilitate extraction of excess paint and cleaning.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following specification.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a tool embodying the features of ths invention, shown closed, with the alternate attachment position shown in dashed lines;

Figure 2 is a perspective view thereof, shown open;

Figure 3 is a front end view thereof, shown closed; and

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional view along line 4-4 of Figure 3.

The device illustrated in the drawings comprises a pair of substantially semi-cylindrical gripper members generally designated and 10' adapted for closing around and gripping paint rollers. The upper roller-gripping member 10 is formed of sheet metal or other material which is substantially r gid. It includes an inner-gripping surface 11 bounded by a forward arcuate edge 12, a rear arcuate edge 13 and side straight edges 14 and 15. The gripping surface 11 is essentially a segment of a cylinder which occupies an arc of slightly less than 180, described about an axis a and having a radius slightly greater than the rad'us of a paint roller with which it is to be used. The lower roller gripping member 10' is identical, its gripping surface 11 occupying a similar arc about an axis b.

The forward edges 12 and rear edges 13 of the gripping members 10, 10 are spaced apart, preferably a distance greater than the radius of the identical arcs of the gripping surfaces 11, 11'. Each forward edge 12 includes a flange 16 turned radially outward and having a coextensive preferably integral, radially inner edge 24. Flanges 16 also have radially outer edges 25 which occupy arcs of fewer degrees than the forward arcuate edges 12. Thus when the axes a and b of the gripping surfaces 11, 11' are brought into coincidence, there are greater gaps between flange outer edges 25 than between the flange inner edges 24. This serves to facilitate the 2 passing of a roller-holder between members 10 and 10 as hereinafter explained. i

' Eachrear edge 13 includes a substantially rectangular rearwardly projecting tab 17 havinga flattened rear edge 18, the tab 17 .being penetrated-adjacent the rear edge 18 by an arcuate'slot 26.

The gripping surfaces 11, 11' include a plurality of inward projections 19, each penetrated by a perforation 20. The projections 19 and perforations 20 are readily formed by piercing the grippers 10, 10' inwardly.

Each gripper 10, 10 further has a forward attachment point 21 coinciding with the midpoint of the are occupied by the gripping surface, and a rear'attachment point 22 along slot 26 and positioned spacedly from a plane bisecting the gripper. Thus Figure 4 shows the upper and lower attachment points 22 spaced to one side of a plane c defined by the forward attachment point 21 and the axis a of said arc; and also shows upper and lower alternate rear attachment points 23 symmetrically spaced'at the other side of the plane 0. The upper and lower rear attachment points are on'the same side' of the plane 0.

The device illustrated further "comprises tong means generally designated 30, including a pair of levers 31'and 32 secured to grippers 10, 10' operating in' a fulcrum pin 33, the tong means 30 being offset inrelation to the'axes a, b of said gripping surfaces 11, 11,. When the tong means 35) is open, as shown in Figure 2, the axes a, b, will be 0 .12 of coincidence; but said tong means closes to move said axes to approximate'coincidence, as shown in Figure 3. When in full coincidence, the gripping surfaces 11, 11' define a substantially cylindrical passage. Levers 31 and 32 are arched so that this passage is uninterrupted by any portion of tong means 30 when attached to either the rear attachment points 22 or the alternate points 23. In either position the tong means intersect the plane 0 at an acute angle, as determined by the plane common tzo1 the fulcrum pin 33 and the forward attachments points Levers 31, 32 are connected by a fulcrum pin 33 intermediate their ends and secured to the grippers 10, 10 at their forward attachment points 21 and rear attachment points 22. Rearwardly of the fulcrum 33 the levers 31 and 32 are curved downwardly to form handles 34 in a pistol grip position.

If the device is to be held in the opposite hand, then the levers 31 and 32 may instead be secured to the alternate rear attachment points 23 so that the said levers and their fulcrum are offset on the other side of the plane c. To facilitate this change of sides, I make the attachment by means of small bolts 35 slidable within the slots 26 and securable by nuts 36. Similar bolts and nuts are used at the forward attachment points.

Such a paint roller is normally used on a hand tool (not shown) having a bent shaft which enters one end of the roller. With the device illustrated held by the handles 34 and the forward flanges 16 facing toward the end of the roller at which the shaft enters, the grippers 10, 10 are tightly closed about the opposite end of the roller. Due to the acuate angle which the tongs 30 make with the plane c, the grippers 10, 10 may readily be pushed forward along the paint roller, with the closed gripping surfaces 11, 11' passing over substantially its entire outer surfaces until the bent shaft which enters the roller passes between the flanges 16 of the upper and lower grippers 10, 10. As it is moved forward the offset levers 31 and 32 and the fulcrum 33 and handles 34 all by-pass the roller. During this operation, the flanges 16 push the excess paint forwardly oif the roller, while the grippers 10 and 10' squeeze the additional excess paint through perforations 20 and the projections 19 fluff the nap of the roller. By reason of the acuate angle the 3 tongs 30 make with the roller axis, the pull has a large axial component.

To remove such roller from its holder, the grippers and 10 are closed tightly around the roller with the flanges 16 faced in the same direction and a pulling force is exerted on handles 34. The circular gripping action obtained over a substantial area permits a tight grip on such roller without damaging it, and this grip is made more secure by the projections 19.

Modifications will occur to those skilled in the art, based on the foregoing disclosure. The present invention should not be construed narrowly, but rather as fully coextensive with the scope of the claims which follow.

I claim:

1. For use with paint rollers, a paint extracting and roller-handling tool comprising a pair of opposed arcuate roller-gripping members, each of said members having an inner-gripping surface occupying an arc of less than 180 described about an axis, said arcs having equal radii; and tong means secured to said roller-gripping members, said tong means including a transverse pivot about which the gripping members may be rotated to bring the axes of their arcs together into an axis of coincidence from which the tong means extend acutely and from which all portions of the tong means are offset an amount at least equal to the radius of the arcs of the gripping surfaces.

2. The tool defined in claim 1, each of the gripping surfaces having a forward arcuate edge and a rear arcuate edge, said rear arcuate edge being spaced from said forward arcuate edge a distance greater than the radius of said arc, and said gripping surfaces including a plurality of pierced inward projections.

3. For use with paint rollers, a paint-extracting and roller-handling tool comprising a pair of similar, opposed arcuate grippers, each said gripper having a forward arcuate edge including an outwardly-turned flange, a rear arcuate edge including a rearwardly-projecting tab, and an inner gripper surface between said forward and rear edges and occupying an are less than described by rotation about an axis, each said gripper further having a forward attachment point at half the length of its said arc and a rear attachment point along said tab and spaced from a first plane defined by said forward attachment point and its said axis; further comprising a pair of levers, one secured to said attachment points of each said gripper, said levers being connected at a fulcrum spaced from said plane a distance greater than the radius of said are, the said fulcrum and forward attachment points defining a second plane at an acuate angle to said first plane.

4. The tool defined in claim 3, each gripper having an alternate rear attachment point along said tab and spaced from said first plane symmetrically with the rear attachment point first referred to, whereby said levers may be secured optionally at either side of said plane.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 879,291 Meinen Feb. 18, 1908 2,531,087 Pilliod Nov. 28, 1950 2,583,892 Shellhouse Jan. 29, 1952 2,825,916 Basala Mar. 11, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 475,058 Canada July 10, 1951 

